3 minutes of readingChennaiFebruary 7, 2026 08:09 pm IST
Late Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna was at the peak of his career when He left the film industry to join spiritual guru Osho’s commune in Oregon.US. Vinod was among the country’s biggest stars at that time and had several blockbusters to his credit. Many believed that he was the closest competitor of the reigning star, Amitabh Bachchan. He left everything behind to join Osho Rajneesh to his ashram, first in India and then in Oregon, United States. However, in a recent interaction, his second wife Kavita Khanna revealed that she turned away from fame and massive success to pursue spirituality after her mother’s death.
Speaking on her YouTube channel, Kavita recalled that Vinod was inclined towards spirituality from a very young age and first came across Osho when he was just 17 years old. She said, “Vinod was very spiritual since he was a child. When he was 17, he bought the book ‘Autobiography of Yogi’ and at that time he said that he did not realize that Osho was in the same bookstore at the same time.”
Sharing details about the moment Vinod decided to give up his life as a successful actor and take sanyas, Kavita said, “The turning point in giving up this amazing material life he had… the adoration he had and the success… was when several deaths occurred in the family in two years. So when his mother passed away, he simply went to Osho and took sanyas.”
Kavita also revealed how superstar Vinod Khanna worked as a gardener at Osho’s private residence in the Oregon commune. “He was Osho’s gardener. Osho’s house was private and very few people had access to it, but if you were the gardener, you were there. That was his seva.”
He added that this was not the only role Vinod took on in the commune. He also served as a model for the designer of Osho’s robes. “In Oregon, Osho had these fabulous flowing ropes, which were designed for him, and all of them used to be tried on Vinod because of his same shoulder size,” he said.
Kavita further shared that Vinod’s devotion to spirituality had started much earlier, even when he was still living in Bombay. Remember that the actor once participated in naked meditation sessions at Mumbai’s Chowpatty beach. “Even when I was in Mumbai before moving to Pune ashram, the meditations at Chowpatty Beach in Bombay, which is right in the center of this pulsating city, and everyone took off their clothes and meditated naked in a circle on the beach.”
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He added: “I know Vinod was not there looking for the physical part, I believe his journey was spiritual with immense commitment and devotion.” Vinod eventually returned to India and continued his acting career until his death in 2017.